Once Haroon Al-Rashid set out into the desert along with his drinking friends–Abu Yaqoob, Jaafar-the Barmecide and Abu Nowas. In the desert, they saw an old man Badawi resting against his ass.
When they asked him from where he came, the old man replied he was from Basrah and was going to Baghdad to get medicine for his eyes. The Caliph was in a mood for some fun and ordered Jaafar to jest with the man.
Jaafar said that he would prescribe him a medicine for his eyes which he had never given to anyone else, and began telling him some crazy mixture of sunlight, moonlight, wind, etc., and told him apply it every night. On hearing this, the old man gave a loud fart and said that that was his fees for the prescription.
He also said that he would give him a slave-girl if he was cured of her eye-ailment after taking his medicine. Thereafter, the Allah would cut short his life and keep him in the hell. On hearing this, Haroon Al-Rashid roared with laughter and gave the old man three thousand silver pieces.
